Dear Editor:
I want all of your readers to know what a great bunch of teenagers we have here in Union City.
The students of Emerson High School and Union Hill High School have made thousands of senior citizens very happy by hosting and helping with the senior citizen events here in Union City. Not only do these wonderful young people volunteer for city-sponsored events, they plan and coordinate their own events for seniors.
In May the students of Union Hill High School presented a Senior Citizen Prom for the third year in a row in the school’s gymnasium. They decorated, ordered and served the food, made sure the seniors got up to dance and stayed late to clean up. The entire event was coordinated by the students, and it was tremendous.
Then last week the Emerson High School students planned a Spring Afternoon in Paris for our seniors. Their gym was beautifully decorated with a Parisian theme, and the food and service by these teenagers was out of this world. Again everything was handled by the students, and they did a great job.
In addition to planning and helping out at parties, our students get involved in other ways such as visiting disabled veterans in the Paramus Veterans’ Home, bringing them gifts which they paid for with fundraising events such as carwashes and spending an afternoon several times a year with our veterans.
I can’t begin to tell you how it makes me feel to see our teenagers interacting with our seniors, bridging the years between them with friendly smiles, hugs and genuine affection for the older generation.
To all of the students who have made our seniors’ days a little brighter, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You are to be congratulated as are your parents who have raised such remarkable children.
Tina Yandolino
Commissioner, Office of Senior Affairs